A Fancy Nancy Extravaganza

Oh, my. This just came in the mail.

 

978-006-211-9780

 

along with two copies of this:

 

978-006-208-2954

 

If you don't know who Fancy Nancy is, go find a girl-child between the ages of 2 and 12, and ask. I'll wait. Got it, now? And did you find yourself getting a makeover as part of the explanation? I'll bet you look dazzling (which is fancy for eye-popping)!

 

The latter of the two is the latest in O'Connor's new chapter book series. This was a welcome addition for parents whose children were addicted to the picture books, but who are starting to grow into bigger reading endeavors. In the first, Nancy and her friend Bree solve some mini mysteries. In this, nancy has a different type of mystery question: "If the heart was just some muscle, like Mr. Dudeny said, then what made people fall in love?"

 

Like the first, this can make a good chapter-a-night family read-aloud. The chapters are a nice length, with enough of a story in themselves to provide for some entertainment and discussion. In just the first chapter, we learn how to count our own heartbeat (remember doing that in school? I could never find mine - just like one of Nancy's classmates!), and have mention of what makes the teacher so nice. There is wordplay, like "kindhearted" and "heartless". Goodness, you could form an entire home school curriculum around the book, if you were so inclined!

 

And that, to me, is especially nice to see - a little bit of substance, without being obnoxiously presented, in an entertaining story (Nancy and Bree turn their efforts towards matchmaking) that will appeal to girls of many ages (as well as boys who don't mind holding a book with a pink cover).

 

For those who are still interested in picture books, the treasury is a glorious (fancy for wonderful) way to either introduce the characters, or spend an afternoon in repose (which is fancy for relaxed) on your favorite corner of the sofa, revisiting old favorites.

 

Both books are now in print, and will soon be on the shelves at the library! Thank-you, HarperCollins, for the review copies!